


Advice from a disabled person's personal experience.

by ChangelingChild



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Advice, Disability, Gen, Healthcare, Writing, injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:15:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangelingChild/pseuds/ChangelingChild
Summary: Hi, this is just going to be some advice based on my experience as a disabled person so that you can have more context when writing disabilities and injuries in your fics. Please feel free to ask any questions, or provide your own experiences in the comments.
Kudos: 4





	Advice from a disabled person's personal experience.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. So this was going to be a Tumblr post, but I think it will be easier to reference on Ao3. If you know of another place I could post this that would be more appropriate, but equally accessible let me know. This isn't meant to be law, simply things from my experience that might help you if you want more realism in your fics when there are injuries, or disabilities portrayed.
> 
> I do have both physical disabilities and developmental disability. And I also have mental health issues, but this will probably primarily focus on the physical aspect. Providing a reference for the type of equipment that you might want to use in your fic.

**OVERVIEW**

Shower Chairs are simply chairs or stools that go in the shower to facilitate easier cleaning. Depending on an individuals needs they can be as simple as a stool.

Or they can feature a backrest and armrests depending on how able the person using it is to keep themselves upright.

These chairs can be attached to the wall of the shower, or freely moveable.

In my experience, the most common chair is the one pictured below.

This is the type of chair I personally have and is also the type of chair I was loaned when I first needed to use one. It is generally the cheapest option outside of a stool.

In my experience, the materials are typically plastic and aluminium, White or grey plastic is the most common for the hard parts, and Gray or Blue is the most common for anything that is cushier, such as feet, or cushioning.

**USES**

You should consider including the use of a shower chair if your character has an issue with fatigue, muscle loss, or any injury to the feet or legs. 

Shower Chairs can be a permanent part of someone's routine if like me they have permanent disabilities affecting these functions, but they can also be used short term such as after a surgery. 

Depending on the type of health care, these are loaned as part of the preparation for the procedure or can be arranged to be loaned after when the procedure or injury is unplanned. Where I was it was borrowed from a third party location a building specifically housing pieces of medical equipment to be loaned for these types of situations.

If someone requires crutches they'll likely be able to get a shower chair from the same location as they borrow their crutches from.

**LIMITATIONS**

A person may not be able to use a shower chair because of an inability to sit upright, or because of areas of the body, such as stitches not being able to get wet. When stitches are on an extremity, such as the foot you can typically wrap it or keep it out of the shower, but this might be more difficult when there are stitches on the torso. Sponge baths can be used as an alternative when using a shower with a shower chair is not feasible.

In addition, someone using a shower chair may still need assistance with the mobility involved in showering, such as reaching their hair for washing it. Consider the status of your character and if they can shower with the use of a chair alone, they will need assistance, or they will need an alternative way of getting clean.

**ALTERNATIVES**

If your character cannot access a shower chair but is unable to stand for the duration of the shower, they may avoid showering, sit on the floor during the shower, or take short showers that complete only a single task depending on the situation.

My experience is primarily with pain and fatigue so I tend to go for avoidance when I don't have access to a shower chair.

Sitting on the floor of the shower comes with the complication of sitting up from the floor, which can be difficult depending on the type of limitation that the character is working with. A fit person who has injured their foot may find this easy, but a person who has spent an extended period in the hospital, or who has a fatiguing illness might find this incredibly difficult.

Sponge baths, or having a helper clean the character personally with a cloth might be an option. This is not something I have experience with, but it is another alternative method for cleaning.

Avoidance is absolutely an option, but it is not advisable in most circumstances. If your character is not getting clean they will have things to deal with like rash, or infections. Your character should only be in this situation if you are acknowledging it as neglect (if you're going for realism). Consider why they aren't getting this support if you plan to not give it to them.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions feel free to ask. If you have your own perspective you'd like to share feel free to do so as well. I might also consider adding people as authors if they have long things of their own experience they'd like to add. I don't have every experience and I'd like this to be as complete as possible.


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